The term “radiography” will be used herein to refer to the use of electromagnetic radiation to generate an image of the human body. One particular class of radiography devices uses x-rays to create an image that may be used as a diagnostic tool by a wide variety of health care professionals. Radiography systems are typically sold in a variety of configurations and sizes to generate an image or images of an area of the body of particular interest for a given medical condition.
The present invention is of particular relevance to medical conditions related to the human spine, and that application of the present invention will be described herein in detail. However, the principles of present invention may also be used with other areas of the human body as will be generally described below.
The human vertebral or spinal column (hereinafter “spine”) is formed by a stack of individual bone structures (vertebrae) separated by intervertebral discs (discs). Ligaments extend along the length of the spine. Anomalies in the spine may have adverse health effects. Radiography images are commonly used to diagnose anomalies of the spine for the purpose of determining appropriate medical treatment. Improvement of the radiography image can lead to improved medical treatment.
The need exists for radiography systems and methods for generating improved radiography images to facilitate the detection and treatment of anomalies of the human spine.